Fixtures (All matches 10.45pm)
Tuesday:
Viktoria Plzen v Ludogorets Razgrad (0-2), Hapoel Be’er Sheva v Celtic (2-5), Legia Warsaw v Dundalk (2-0), AS Roma v FC Porto (1-1), AS Monaco v Villarreal (2-1)
Wednesday:
Apoel Nicosia v Copenhagen (0-1), Red Bull Salzburg v Dinamo Zagreb (1-1), Manchester City v Steaua Bucharest (5-0), FC Rostov v Ajax (1-1), Borussia Monchengladbach v BSC Young Boys (3-1)
// As Pep Guardiola's Manchester City advance upon the Champions League group phase, previously maligned winger Raheem Sterling appears to have been reborn.
Sterling, 21, joined City from Liverpool in a fractious £44 million (Dh212.5m) move last year, but flattered to deceive and ultimately lost his place in the starting XI.
He was also derided for some insipid England displays at Euro 2016, but he is thriving under Guardiola and inspired City to a 5-0 win at Steaua Bucharest in their Champions League play-off round first leg.
“Obviously he’s been criticised a lot in the last year, but the way he’s responding is great,” said teammate Kevin De Bruyne ahead of Wednesday’s return leg against Steaua.
“He’s a great player. I don’t care what people say about him after last year or the Euros. These things happen. Footballers have ups and downs.
“Hopefully he can continue this for us now, because he is very dangerous.”
More football
• Ian Hawkey: Either Edin Dzeko's AS Roma or Iker Casillas' Porto are bowing out
• Thomas Woods: Pep Guardiola doing Sterling work improving Manchester City forward
Sterling set the tone for City in last week’s first leg in Bucharest, winning an early penalty (which Sergio Aguero squandered) and laying on goals for David Silva and Aguero, who scored a hat-trick.
He won a penalty as City beat Sunderland 2-1 on the Premier League season's opening day and impressed again in last Saturday's 4-1 win at Stoke City, unselfishly setting up a late goal for Nolito.
Sterling’s return to form has not escaped the attention of new England manager Sam Allardyce.
“People say in football that when you have the dip, it’s how well do you overcome it?” Allardyce told reporters on Monday.
“When you do overcome it, you end up being a much better player and generally your career lasts a lot longer after getting through that period.
“So if he’s through that period and his talent begins to blossom again ... He’s a terrific talent.”
City have won all three of their competitive games to date under Guardiola, but he warned after the Stoke win: “There is time to get better.”
With the tie against Steaua effectively over, Wednesday’s game at the Etihad Stadium gives Guardiola an opportunity to hone his tactical innovations, such as his use of full-backs in central midfield roles.
He may also hand playing time to some of his fringe players, but it remains to be seen whether outcast goalkeeper Joe Hart will be granted a first start of the campaign.
Wednesday’s other games are all more finely poised, with Dutch giants Ajax level at 1-1 with Rostov ahead of the second leg in Russia.
The heavyweight tie between AS Roma and FC Porto, which concludes in the Italian capital on Tuesday, is also delicately balanced at 1-1.
AS Monaco, quarter-finalists in 2015, carry a 2-1 lead into their home game with Villarreal.
Dundalk’s hopes of becoming the first Irish team to reach the group stage appear slim as they travel to Legia Warsaw needing to overturn a 2-0 first-leg deficit.
“Going away 1-0 would be better for us than 2-0, but we’re still in the tie,” said Dundalk defender Andy Boyle. “Going over there, we don’t think the tie is over.”
Like City, Celtic appear all but home and hosed after crushing Israeli representatives Hapoel Be'er Sheva 5-2 in the home leg of their tie.
But their fans face a probe by Uefa after unveiling dozens of Palestine flags during the game in Glasgow.
Israeli police have vowed to confiscate any Palestinian flags brandished by any of the expected 250 away fans during Tuesday’s return fixture in Beersheba.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
RESULT
RS Leipzig 3
Marcel Sabitzer 10', 21'
Emil Forsberg 87'
Tottenham 0
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
if you go
The flights
Fly direct to Kutaisi with Flydubai from Dh925 return, including taxes. The flight takes 3.5 hours. From there, Svaneti is a four-hour drive. The driving time from Tbilisi is eight hours.
The trip
The cost of the Svaneti trip is US$2,000 (Dh7,345) for 10 days, including food, guiding, accommodation and transfers from and to Tbilisi or Kutaisi. This summer the TCT is also offering a 5-day hike in Armenia for $1,200 (Dh4,407) per person. For further information, visit www.transcaucasiantrail.org/en/hike/
